M3DS Real
Slot-1 (All-in-one)
Also needed: MicroSD card
Price: $39 - $60
Find it: Real Hot Stuff, Amazon Marketplace, DealExtreme

With the M3 Real, it's easy for even the noobiest of noobs to get a grip on DS homebrew. If you know how to a) manipulate files on a computer and b) insert a cart into your DS, then you too can master the world of DS homebrew. It really is just that easy.

So you bought the M3 Real -- what now?

Once you've got the M3, with or without accessories (other than the necessary MicroSD card), setting it up is extremely simple. Before you do anything else, you'll need to:

• format your MicroSD card (PC users, see here and here; Mac users, check here)
  
• get the latest M3 loader firmware
• copy the M3 firmware System folder to the MicroSD card
• insert the MicroSD into your M3 cart (like this, not like this)
• insert the M3 adapter cart in your DS and power it up

The first time you boot up your M3, you'll be prompted to select your language. If you happen to choose the wrong one, or decide to shift later, you can adjust this in the Setting menu from the main screen (see list of menu options to the right). After that, you're ready to go, and you've already become a part of the homebrew community. The M3 firmware comes complete with a built-in PDA app, so you've already got a program you can use. You've also got MoonShell packed in with your card, which allows you to access media files from your DS, just in case you want to, say, watch Night of the Living Dead. But in order to get that film, other media, or any other programs, you're going to have to plug that MicroSD back in to your computer and go hunting for software.

What kind of homebrew programs do you want to get? Frankly, that's up to you, and we'll provide some resources later that should help you choose. For now, however, we're just going to tell you how to work with your new homebrew cart.

How do I manage files so that my homebrew software will run correctly?

You'll need to place all of the loader files (.nds files) in the root directory (unless directed otherwise in the instructions for various programs) on the MicroSD card. This allows for automatic DLDI patching, which some applications require in order to run correctly. If your files are not in the right place, your programs may not work. If you're having any trouble, make sure the files are in the right place!

Your media files, however, can be organized as you see fit. Only .nds loader files for your homebrew programs need to be in the root directory. MoonShell has its own file browser, and supports several audio formats, including MP3, most basic image formats, and DPG video files.

As an aside, we recommend fiddling with your new M3's menus. You can't really mess anything up, after all, and you'll learn more about it. The firmware comes with several skins already installed (accessible through the 'Setting' menu), and you can cycle through those and familiarize yourself with the menus before digging too deeply into various programs.

To the right, you can see the basic menu options. You'll spend most of your time in "My Card," which is a file browser that lists all your homebrew programs. Open My Card, and from there, you can select the executable files.
For example, on the above screenshot, lj.nds is selected, which loads LOCKJAW, an excellent Tetris clone. Chat Noir is also shown. To get here, select My Card from the main menu, and scroll down to the files you want. Tap the desired file once with your stylus (or alternate pointing device), and again to load it. Or, if you prefer to use the buttons, A selects, and B will move back to previous menus.

Sound simple? It is. The interface is easily navigable, and the beauty of the all-in-one Slot-1 carts is that running homebrew apps is nearly as easy as booting a commercial cartridge. So many steps that were necessary with earlier Slot-2 homebrew solutions are automated here. Now anyone can get in on the homebrew experience.

Where can I go to for more in-depth information on the M3 Real?

Check out the official M3 Team site or the M3 wiki, as well as great community sites like GBATemp.net.

Features: Built-in media player and PDA functionality, HDSC compatible, skinnable interface, automatic DLDI patching, supports Slot-2 expansions
Possible problems: Official site difficult to navigate if you're looking for firmware updates; some people don't like the necessity of keeping things in the root directory
Accessories: GBA expansion, rumble pak
Language support: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Korean, Thai

Jargon flying right over your head? Check out our homebrew glossary for more information!

CycloDS Evolution	Back	Revolution for DS

In honor of this past Mother's Day, we wanted to share reader Manoel's case with you. Why? Because it was made with tender loving care by his obviously wonderful mother. Aren't moms great? So, uh ... hey, Mom, you want to dig out your crafts box and put some yarn to good use?

Hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the case, which is really well-made. We've seen a lot of DIY cases, and while many of them look really good, the simplicity of this case, definitely won us over. Probably because we're utterly hopeless with crochet hooks and knitting needles. Can we get a training game or something for that?

We love to see what folks do with their handhelds. Whether its DIY or just a really nice product, we're always looking for something new to feature on the site. Today, the above slice of heaven comes from flickr user southpawn, who's got quite the nice DS package. Whether it's the handheld, or the nice carrying case crafted for it, we're fans of the work southpawn has done here.

Head on past the break for a look from some other angles.

We had a pretty good idea of what BD&A's Guitar Hero stylus accessory would look like, but we figured there was always the possibility of a surprise until we could see a picture of the thing. A picture has just been added to the Gamestop listing, and there is no surprise to be found.

The DS Lite Guitar Hero Stylus is exactly the same idea as the Jammin' Guitar Pick stylus that Naki released to go with Jam Sessions. It's a stylus attached to a guitar pick. You hold the pick and use the stylus end on the screen, which sounds, at least, a little more guitar-like than just playing the DS with a little stick.

The major differences between the two products? The Guitar Hero set has the Guitar Hero logo on the picks, and doesn't come with as many.

We're all about the cool arts and crafts people come up with (especially our readers), but this is just too much. King, the company responsible for the ugly DS you see above, will take your handheld and, for a nominal fee, jazz it up with all kinds of different decorations. We're all for classing up our sleek and simple handheld, but these decorations just come off as too busy and tacky.

Of course, such a service is only available to folks in Japan. For once, we're glad that is the case.

[Via Game | Life]

When it comes to the DS, great games may be the order of the day, but when you're unprepared going into your gaming session, everything suffers. That's why we decided to take the time and put together a little list of accessories any DS owner shouldn't live without. It's by no means the be-all, end-all list for all time, so if we missed something, let us know! We want to know what you all have out there as much as inform any unaware gamers what's available on the market.

So, without further delay, click the button on the bottom right to get going. Then be sure to come back here and let us know what you think!

We hope you haven't already put in a preorder for Hori's upcoming DS Lite Charge Stand! When we last previewed this accessory, Play Asia had put up a product page promising to deliver the stylish dock to your doorstep for $16.90 (plus $5.90 s/h) once it debuted in Japan this month.

Checking the online import shop earlier today, we spotted a pair of notable details, bad news and good news, if you will:.

• Bad news: The charging base's shipping date has been moved to May
• Good news: There is now a listing for the White DS Lite Charge Stand bearing a US flag, scheduled for June and priced at $14.99.

Is Hori's North American arm planning to bring the dock to the states as it has with many of the company's other DS accessories? If so, it might worth waiting an extra month to pick up the Charge Stand at a local store for a few bucks less. Hit the gallery below for glamour shots of the White and Black models.

Headphones are an absolute must for handheld music games, unless you're a) alone or b) a jerk. You're almost required to have the sound on, unlike other portable games, and it would be quite rude to subject the other bus passengers (or other neighbors) to your racket. Guitar Hero: On Tour also puts your neighbors in danger of a serious jostling should your fake solos get too energetic, but there's not really an accessory that could help with that, aside from elbow pads.

GameStop has taken the extremely sensible step of bundling a pair of On Tour-branded headphones with copies of the game. If you're going to be buying the thing anyway, might as well get extra free stuff with it!

In other On Tour accessories news, the "Ruby Red" accessory pack is now pictured on GameStop's website.

In order to entice customers into picking up the new sequel to last year's brawling pseudo-rhythm game Custom Beat Battle Draglade, publisher Namco Bandai has decided to offer a bonus that makes it seem even more like a rhythm game: free headphones.

Japanese gamers who preorder Draglade 2 will receive, along with the game, a pair of over-the ear "Super Beat Headphones" just like the ones worn in the game by the new protagonist, Shibuya Goku Raio. The bonus will be available in limited quantities, though Draglade is a fairly niche game anyway.

If you manage to get a set of these through an importer, you can pretend you're in a critically-acclaimed but low-selling action game while you listen to our Muxtape!

The Gachapin/Mukku line of DS accessories from CYBER Gadget is one of our favorite accessory sets, because it is an extraordinarily distinctive way to decorate your DS (if you don't mind being that guy with the goofy green DS). To our delight, CYBER Gadget has introduced more accessories based on the fuzzy costumed characters from Hirake! Ponkiki.

The Gachapin x Mukku Neck Strap is pretty much exactly as you would imagine a product by that name -- a strap designed to allow kids to hang their DS systems around their necks Flavor Flav-style, with a little fuzzy Gachapin (green) or Mukku (red) head attached. The head is a teensy little zipper pouch for games!

[Via Famitsu]

GelaSkins' awesome range of DS skins got us thinking about decorating our handhelds all over again, but who out there has already skinned their DS, and which design did you opt for? Better still, have any of you customized your own DS skin? If so, now is your chance to show it off (pictures are a must for this DS Daily, obviously), and perhaps even earn yourself some internet fame!*

* Amongst the people who read DS Fanboy comment threads.

A question out there for our young friends: is Totally Spies really that popular? We might be out of touch with what kids like, but our experience with it was that it was just an unexceptional, poorly animated, anime-looking cartoon. But apparently it's enough of a big deal to have its own games, and now its own line of game accessories in Europe.

French accessories manufacturer Subsonic has revealed their Totally Spies DS accessories, including cases, styli, and chargers. The, uh, "WOOHP Bag" seen above actually looks pretty useful, if you don't mind the, uh, flower stuff and Totally Spies pictures.

Sure, this is just a used DS Phat with a sticker on it, in a chipped lockbox, but it's the coolest used DS in a box we've ever seen. That's because this particular arrangement is a retail download station, of the sort set up in local stores (and at Safeco Field). It's intended to broadcast demos to anyone who brings their DS to the location that houses it.

As if it weren't cool enough to have a DS Download Station that is never supposed to leave the store, this set comes with two cartridges full of Download Play demos. The current bid is only $.99, but who knows how high the reserve is, especially given the $350 Buy It Now price. For that matter, who knows if Nintendo will see the auction and shut it down?

[Via GameSniped]